Homeward Bound

McNamara, Patricia . Girls' Life ; Baltimore  Vol. 21, Iss. 5,  (Apr/May 2015): 60-61,69.

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ABSTRACT
 
My mom hadn't had a steady job since I was in fifth grade. I don't know how we got by. I offered many times to find
work to help out. but my mom would say. "You need to focus on your grades. That's your responsibility, and I'll
handle the rest."

Forced to pack up all of our belongings and put them in storage, we bounced between hotel rooms and our family's
house back in Indiana for months. I don't know if it was because of the size of our family or the fact that my mom
just didn't want us to see it. but we never stayed in a shelter. The thought never even crossed my mind to ask. After
a while. when your living situation is in limbo, you know not to question people and just trust what they're saying. I
had to trust that we'd be OK.

I'm currently finishing up my freshman year at Kennesaw State studying pharmaceutical chemistry, and I'm trying
to figure out if I want to go to medical school. No matter what. I know I'll use some of the money I make to help my
family. Fortunately, they're doing better, too. My brothers and mom moved into a place with our new sibling's
father, and she has a job.

FULL TEXT
 
Headnote
There are an estimated 2.5 million homeless children in the United States right now. With numbers reaching an all-
time high, \one teen is making sure her status doesn't define her future.

When you think of a homeless person, most people (including me) automatically imagine this gruff, older man
roaming the streets with tons of bags or a cart. But that's not what all homeless people are like. I don't fit that
description. I'm young and educated...but I was homeless, too.

Things weren't always so bad for my family. Until I was in second grade, we lived in a big blue house in
Indianapolis.

When my mother, a single mom. was expecting my second brother, we moved into an apartment...and then
another when she was expecting her fourth child. To put it bluntly, we moved around a lot. Every apartment was
adequate in size, but they were never in the same neighborhood or school district, so I found it tough to make
friends in middle school. I think part of it was because I wasn't a very outgoing person. Once I started getting
involved in some after-school programs, however, I opened up a little more.

By the time high school started. I had a solid group of friends. We'd have sleepovers at their houses, and we'd
dance and sing all night. They helped distract me from what was going on at home. You see, parts of my extended

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family would come to stay with us-and rely on my mom to pay the bills.

Cross-Country Changes

My mom hadn't had a steady job since I was in fifth grade. I don't know how we got by. I offered many times to find
work to help out. but my mom would say. "You need to focus on your grades. That's your responsibility, and I'll
handle the rest."

By the time llth grade rolled around, two of my best friends had moved away. So when my mom told me she was
going to help a mentor of hers start a salon in Georgia where she'd be the manager. I was all for it. My brothers
were super excited, too. To us. it felt like the fresh start we all needed.

When we pulled up to our new pale green house in a wealthy suburb northeast of Atlanta. I was speechless. It was
the prettiest house I had ever seen, with a two-car garage, a large patio and deck, plenty of bedrooms and a big
backyard. We converted one room into a studio so my brother could start making music. We played outside. We
had so much fun that I didn't even question how my mom was affording it.

School Snafu

Starting a new school in a different state didn't scare me. But when I learned I wasn't going to get credit for my first
semester because I was out of school more than two weeks (our move to Georgia took longer than planned). I was
devastated. I was set on graduating early so I could go to college and get a job sooner. I'd take care of my family. I
had a plan.

About three months after our move, I could tell something was off with my mom's new salon. Her partner had
another job. so her focus shifted and things weren't progressing.

The way I saw it, my mom's mentor didn't care if the business took off. She had money, unlike my mom. who
depended on the salon's income. It seemed like as soon as we got settled, my mom was jobless again. And with no
money, we were out of that gorgeous house by summer.

Homeless Life

Forced to pack up all of our belongings and put them in storage, we bounced between hotel rooms and our family's
house back in Indiana for months. I don't know if it was because of the size of our family or the fact that my mom
just didn't want us to see it. but we never stayed in a shelter. The thought never even crossed my mind to ask. After
a while. when your living situation is in limbo, you know not to question people and just trust what they're saying. I
had to trust that we'd be OK.

I started senior year in Georgia in a "doubled-up" situation, living in a two-bedroom apartment we shared with
someone from church my mom had known for years. There were nine of us living there, and the stress of having so
many people in such a small space reached a boiling point one afternoon.

The couple who owned the apartment began violently arguing. Not wanting my brothers to see it, I locked them in
our bedroom and distracted them until my mom got home. It was bad enough that the couple was hiding food and
stuff from us, making us feel unwelcome. But then it became clear that the situation was not going to last.

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Happy Medium

By the time Christmas rolled around, we were living in another hotel. Except this time, things were different.

Sure, we didn't have much to eat-I got most of my meals at school, and we scrounged up what we could at the
Dollar Store. But we were actually happy.

Back in Indiana, my relationship with my mom hadn't been the greatest. But when we were homeless, we became
best friends. Everything we went through, we went through together.

Things perked up even more when I got the news that I was going to graduate high school on time. Not only that,
but I'd graduate with honors. My counselors and teachers offered to cover my cap, gown and sash expenses. I was
speechless. That piece of paper wasn't just proof of my hard work, it was one less thing I had to worry about.

Or so I thought. Turns out that my plan to go straight to college would be put on hold. What was supposed to be a
summer visit back to Indiana turned into a permanent one when we learned my mom was expecting another baby.

A Fighting Chance

I had known I wanted to go to Kennesaw State University in Georgia. They have an awesome science program, and
I knew science was where I fit in this world.

But without a permanent address, nothing would come for me in the mail. I finally decided to put my grandma's
address on the application for the fall 2014 semester, and it worked. The acceptance letter came to her house, and
I knew this was my chance.

Because I missed getting on the KSU on-campus housing list. I had to live in a hotel, which meant I had little
money for food and books.

According to numbers from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). there are an estimated 58.000
homeless students on college campuses nationwide. Because of the increase of homeless college students, many
campuses are starting programs for them.

Kennesaw State is one of them. The university's Campus Awareness. Resource &Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) Center
helped me figure out how I could pay for meals, eventually got me into on-campus housing and even helped me
land a work study job at the alumni affairs office.

I'm currently finishing up my freshman year at Kennesaw State studying pharmaceutical chemistry, and I'm trying
to figure out if I want to go to medical school. No matter what. I know I'll use some of the money I make to help my
family. Fortunately, they're doing better, too. My brothers and mom moved into a place with our new sibling's
father, and she has a job.

Lifelong Lessons

To quote Shakespeare: "Expectation is the root of all heartache." In other words, you learn to deal with hardship by
having the right attitude. It's one of the biggest things I've taken away from this whole experience.

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It's been one roller coaster of a journey. The old me might not have thought there was an answer to life's
challenges. The present me now knows the trick is to go into every day with an open mind.

I know I am going to succeed, but I don't expect that to happen by tomorrow. It's going to happen eventually... I just
don't have a set date and that's OK with me.

Sidebar
According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, children without stable homes are more than twice as
likely as others to repeat a school grade, be expelled or suspended or drop out of high school. Jayln beat those
odds.

Sidebar
The 3 W's of homelessness in America
WHO: According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, homeless families make up 37
percent of the overall homeless population.
WHY: The National Center on Family Homelessness cites high poverty rate, lack of affordable housing, continuing
impacts of the recession, racial disparities and the challenges of single parenting as causes of homeless children.
WHERE: The National Center for Homeless Education found that in 2012-2013,75.5 percent of homeless students'
nighttime residence was a doubled-up situation, with 15 percent In shelters, 5.7 percent In hotels/motels and 3.4
percent unsheltered.
HELP FIGHT HOMELESSNESS
Looking for something to do this spring break? Why not...
SHOP. Head to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) and select the National Alliance to End Homelessness as your
charitable organization. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase price to them.
PLAN A B-DAY. Through Volunteers of America's Brightening Birthdays initiative, you can help throw a party for
kids who have experienced homelessness. Find locations and get more info at voa.org/brightening-birthdays.
MAKE HOUSES FOR CHANGE. Grab your girls, decorate houseshaped boxes and use them to collect donations for
Family Promise, a nonprofit supporting homeless families. For more deets, visit familypromise.org.

DETAILS

Subject: Teenagers; Homeless people; At risk youth; Motivation; School environment; Social
interaction; Confidence; Self image; Friendship

Publication title: Girls' Life; Baltimore

Volume: 21

Issue: 5

Pages: 60-61,69

Number of pages: 3

Publication year: 2015

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 Publication date: Apr/May 2015

Section: GL REAL GIRL

Publisher: Girls Life Acquisition Corp

Place of publication: Baltimore

Country of publication: United States, Baltimore

Publication subject: Children A nd Youth - For

ISSN: 10783326

Source type: Magazines

Language of publication: English

Document type: Feature

Document feature: Photographs

ProQuest document ID: 1664023051

Document URL: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1664023051?accountid=2909

Copyright: Copyright Girls Life Acquisition Corp Apr/May 2015

Last updated: 2017-11-22

Database: Research Library

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